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Reassured Assurance

One of the questions we are always asked when we visit the cardiologist is, “Does she tolerate feeds without spitting up?” That being one of the many symptoms of congestive heart failure. Of course with my other kids, they puked constantly and consistently which explains the bins of ruined baby clothes that can’t be lent out to anyone. Nora just doesn’t do that. Ever. She had spit up just a little bit in the 2 previous days, but nothing like today. Prior to today I just chalked it up to mucus drainage upsetting her belly. When she started spitting up (to put it politely) with every single bottle today, my heart began racing and my thoughts amok.

An after-hours trip to the pediatrician alleviated our fears. The puking was NOT related to her heart. (Of course there were the 3 birds on a wire as we were walking in.) Her heart sounds normal for her and her lungs are crystal clear. It seems that she has a touch of whatever is going around on top of her cold.

Not that I necessarily expected the puking to stop just because we went to the doctor, but it was unsettling to have her do it again when we got home.

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ANNABEL

I’ve been so saddened to hear of the passing of one of the little rock stars in the trisomy 18 community. Annabel Leigh at 3 years old was one of the many sweet children that have given me such hope over this past year. Annabel beat the odds year after year, her BEAUTIFUL smile daring anyone to question her quality of life. Of course any parent of a baby with t18, myself included, is beyond grateful for what ever time we are granted with our children even when they are born still. I never dared to dream that we’d be here 8 months later celebrating Nora’s first Christmas. Annabel’s parents were faced with the same set of statistics. Of course they are so lucky to have had those 3 years with her, but is there ever really a “good” time to say goodbye to a child!!?? No!! There is not. I don’t care if that “baby” is 50 years old. I can’t even imagine. My prayers are with Annabel’s family and friends, that they may be granted peace, that they are blessed and comforted amidst this saddest of times. Heaven sure received a beautiful little angel yesterday.

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This morning I had one of those moments when I felt God’s voice so clearly that it may as well have been audible. I will preface that with the scripture that I used for yesterday’s post:

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1 NLT)

I chose that verse so “randomly” that I may as well have opened up to any given page of the Bible and blindly pointed my finger to a spot on the page. The only reason I didn’t do that is because I obtained it from the digital version of the Bible on my phone — but same idea. I found it, I liked it lots, so I pasted it into my post, and goodnight.

Imagine the chills that gripped me when I read today’s Jesus Calling this morning and I encountered the exact same verse. Of the 31,240 verses in the Bible (give or take, depending on which version you’re using), you mean to tell me I chose the exact one that would be the featured verse and featured topic in my devotional the next day??? Skeptically one could argue that I looked ahead, but I sure as Shinola know that I did not! That was God saying to me, “I really want you to know this and I really want to make sure you don’t forget this. I love you enough to show you again incase it didn’t sink in the first time.”

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1 NLT)

Reassured about the assurance about the things I can’t see. Wow! How ’bout that??

5 thoughts on “Reassured Assurance”

SO, SO HAPPY THAT THE DOCTOR SAID NORA IS DOING GOOD. EVEN TRYING TO KEEP HER IN ALL THE TIME, THESE LITTLE COLD BUGS SEEM TO ENTER OUR HOMES WHEN THE DOOR OPENS. SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE IS FEELING MUCH BETTER TODAY. I AM TYPING THIS ON 12-12-12. MY NIECE HAS HER BIRTHDAY TODAY, AND A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE ALSO HAS A BIRTHDAY TODAY. THIS DATE WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. I HOPE AND PRAY THAT YOU ALL ARE SLEEPING SOUNDLY WHILE I AM TYPING THIS MESSAGE. HAVE A GREAT DAY, AND I HOPE LITTLE MISS NORA FEELS MUCH BETTER TODAY. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HER IN HER LITTLE CHRISTMAS OUTFIT. ( I AM SURE SHE WILL HAVE ONE, AND SHE WILL BE BEAUTIFUL.) WELL IT IS 3:03 A.M., SO I BETTER BE GETTING TO BED. LOVE YOU ALL. GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS.

Hebrews 11:1 is my life verse and I used it when I was baptized on Mother’s Day this year. It has spoken so loudly to me many times as well. My birthday is 11/1, so I feel a huge personal connection to it. There’s also another scripture and I don’t remember where it is, but it says “take every thought and make it captive to Christ.” That doesn’t mean only the bad thoughts…it means every anxious, fearful, happy, judgmental, worrisome, etc. thought! I think that only by being confident in what we hope for and sure of what we can’t see is what helps me to be able to give every thought (at least most of them) over to Christ. I was blessed to receive a copy of Jesus Calling a few years ago and besides my bible, it has been such a comfort to me and I smile every time you make mention of it. I have given many copies away hoping that it would bless others.

There’s an old hymn that my Dad used to sing so loudly at church that it would embarrass me and I would cringe whenever the music would start and I knew what was coming. Now that my Dad is no longer with us, I would give anything to hear him sing it one more time, but I know that he’s up in Heaven and belting it out for Jesus. It goes like this…”Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine…Oh what a foretaste of glory divine,” and it goes on…”this is my story, this is my song, praising my savior all the day long.” It’s a beautiful hymn and reminds us that even if we don’t know what’s coming to rest assured that He does!

Tonight I woke up from my body being sore from too many long days and being worried about what is happening with my job. I came downstairs to get some Advil and decided to look at the computer and saw your post. I needed the reminder of “reassured assurance” as much as you did and I believe God woke me up just so I would see it. Your blog has been such a comfort and blessing to me and so many others and I believe that you are changing lives through it.

Aleisa,
Thank you for what you’ve shared…I love the incredibly personal nature of God’s love…particularly when He whispers something so powerful into our hearts and then just be to sure we “heard,” he places it our path a second (or sometimes multiple) time. I always, always pay extra close attention to those. That being said, you can only imagine that I got some Godbumps of my own reading your post. A little more than an hour ago, I received the attached daily devo post…based on, you’ve got it…Hebrews 11…= ) May it be an additional affirmation to you, as well. Blessings on you, sweet one for your faithfulness each day of your precious angel’s life. Prayers for sweet Annabel’s family, too.